House Drops Impeachment against Justices

The House of Representatives has withdrawn its impeachment resolution against Associate Justices Kabineh Ja’neh, Jamesetta Howard-Wolokollie, and Philip A. Z. Banks, III. The decision was made on Tuesday, August 22, during its 56th day sitting. Members of the House, 39 out of the 73 representatives, voted to drop the impeachment procedure, because of a joint resolution from the Christian Council of Liberia, the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia and the National Council of Chiefs and Elders. Religious and traditional groups were asked to intervene in the matter by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Yesterday’s motion was made by Lofa County District #1 Representative Francis S. Nyumalin, Sr., and the votes against the impeachment were prompted after an executive session.

It may be recalled that a majority of the members of the House of Representatives, alongside some members of the Senate, stated that they would pursue impeachment against the aforementioned justices for exercising the mandate of the Legislature under the 1986 Constitution. On Tuesday, August 8 – in the 52nd day sitting, members of the House of Representatives endorsed a Draft Resolution setting out the rules for the impeachment proceedings, based on a recommendation from its Committee on Judiciary, chaired by Atty. Worlea Saywah Dunah of Nimba County District # 7. Rep. Dunah told Plenary that a writ of summons was issued to each of the three Associate Justices.

According to his report, the law gives ten (10) days for answers or returns to be filed in civil cases, which indicates that the Associate Justices had up to August 14 to file their return. The report indicated that the Draft Resolution set out the rules to govern the impeachment of Justices Kabineh Ja’neh, Jamesetta Howard-Wolokollie, and Philip A. Z. Banks, III, and it stated that failure on their part to file their returns within ten (10) days will necessitate the declaration of default to be rendered against them.

The Legislature’s action grew out of a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court in the Harrison Karnwea vs National Elections Commission case, in which the court ruled that Mr. Karnwea’s failure to resign his post as managing director of the Forestry Development Authority two years prior to the October 2017 elections was not egregious in nature as he was in substantial compliance with the Code of Conduct because he had resigned after the court had ruled the Code of Conduct constitutional in the case of Selena Mappy-Polson vs the Government of Liberia.

Thanks, chairman! Liberians please let us focus on the future our country and the next generation. Hate and mistrust are leading us nowhere. Twelve yrs. of peace and some sense of formal governance that has put us back on the world stage is commendable. It is now time for us to elect a leader who has the capacity to govern and move the country further.

I wonder if they know that these kinds of stuff drive away potential business and investment opportunities from Liberia?

Political instability of any kind is not good for nation building. Trust me, with the coming election with all the confusion going on with NEC, Code of conduct, impeachment, etc. a few companies will or have already began to leave the country due to the political uncertainty

The impeachment proceeding by Members of the 53rd Legislature against the 3 Associate Justices was another failed attempt evidenced by their bare bone resolution citing the Justices. Therefore, droping the impeachment proceeding should not be attributed to interventions made by the Christian Council of Liberia, Interreligious Council and others, to dignify their quest as they had already conceived defeat before the so-called interventions. It was already contemplated.

Whatever, those three justices….Banks, Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie, and Janeh, have been NAMED AND SHAMED, especially so the Chief Justice Francis Korkpor happily informed the nation that he was “ready to adjudicate the impeachment as constitutionally required.” So, Saye, your view that “droping the impeachment proceeding should not be attributed to interventions made by the Christian Council of Liberia, Interreligious Council and others” is utterly wrong and false.

At least, those justices now realize that in spite of article 65, and despite the necessary constitutional silence, THE ACTUAL FINAL INTERPRETERS OF THE CONSTITUTION ARE THE JOINT HOUSES OF THE LEGISLATURE IPSO FACTO ITS IMPEACHMENT POWERS AND POWERS TO OVERRIDE EVEN A STRUCK DOWN LAW BY THE SUPREME COURT, AND REMOVE JUSTICES AND EVEN THE PRESIDENT FROM OFFICE!!! ALL POWER IS INHERENT IN THE PEOPLE AND NOT IN THE SUPREME COURT!

Well, now that the impeachment case has been dropped, the court has another test to prove itself. The controversy Hon. Edwin Snowe case. Remember, although the members of the Supreme Court are 5, only four will be a part of this decision because the fifth member is the wife of Hon. Edwin Snowe. Whatever decision is rendered in this case, the public will once more be divided in this matter and the House will want to reintroduce the impeachment bill.

Dortu-Siboe Doe, your points are valid as made in your above post and they are well noted. The Supreme Court Justices could have done better in the case regarding the CoC implementation. They allowed the wicked old lady to influenced them as their appointing authority, which was not the best thing to do. Now that they, the three Supreme Court Justices, have been NAMED and SHAMED, they have been put in their proper checks and balances. How they went all around Monrovia begging people and mainly the clergy to intervene and beg on their behalf. Shame! Shame! Shame!

the circus the lawmakers started was ended by the very same folks, realizing that their clearly unconstitutional action had brought shame on them, and had made most of the architects even more unpopular…the supreme court stood on legal and constitutional grounds and prevailed, while the shameless violators of the constitution are trying to mitigate their embarassment by using the “petition” by religious leaders as cover for “withdrawing” something that, legally-speaking, did not exist in the first place…and even if had been pursued (though unconstitutional) would have miserably failed…jokers…!

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